John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 37:11-14

"And it came to pass that, when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh`s army, then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people. And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou art falling away to the Chaldeans. Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I am not falling away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes." — Jeremiah 37:11-14 (ASV)

Here Jeremiah tells us how, and on what occasion, he was cast into prison. He had said shortly before that he was in the middle of the people, or among them. But now he gives an account of the cruelty of the princes, who not only cast him into prison but even into a grave, for they put him, as we shall see, in a dungeon, so that it was a miracle he did not die there.

This was not done only once; for we shall later see, before the end of the chapter, that he was inhumanly treated, so much so that he was afraid to return to the same place, lest it should prove fatal to him.

He mentions the time when this was done: that is, when the Chaldean army went out to meet the Egyptians. He was then free to leave the city; no one before could have gone out, because the gates were closed, and the city was also surrounded by enemies. It was then, he says, that he went out, that he might go to the land of Benjamin, where, as has appeared elsewhere, he was born.

But he then adds that he was intercepted by the prefect of the ward in the gate of Benjamin. That gate had its name from its situation, for a part of Jerusalem belonged to the tribe of Benjamin; and hence it was not strange that the gate which led to the heritage of the tribe of Benjamin was so called. Jeremiah was then intercepted there by Irijah, the prefect of the ward, and not without a grievous charge: that he was escaping to the Chaldeans. The Prophet attempted to clear himself, but with no effect, for an opinion had prevailed that he was already in league with the enemies. He thus gained nothing by defending himself but was taken to the princes, the king’s counselors.

This passage teaches us that God’s servants cannot escape without being exposed to many slanders and false suspicions. Jeremiah might at the beginning have evaded this, and according to the perception of the flesh, his exemption or immunity might have been viewed as lawful, for there was now before his eyes the danger not only of losing his life but also of his name and reputation, which, to noble-minded and wise men, is of much more value.

Had Jeremiah then chosen to evade, he might have made this pretense: “I am indeed ready to offer my life as a sacrifice a hundred times, but what will it avail me if I am to be regarded as a revolter?” For he must have thus exposed the very name of God to many blasphemies. They might have said, “This is the Prophet who boasted that he had been sent from above, but he has now become perfidious and a traitor to his own country, and has tried to deliver up the city into the hands of enemies.” Jeremiah then might have shaken off this burden laid on him; but it was necessary for him to bear this reproach, with which he was falsely charged.

Faithful teachers ought indeed to remove, as far as they can, all slanders, and to restrain the wicked and malicious, so that they may not have the occasion to speak evil. However, when they have done all they can, they will still not exempt themselves from slander, for their words and deeds will be misconstrued.

Thus Jeremiah was loaded with false charges. Everyone had persuaded themselves that, because he had so greatly extolled the power of King Nebuchadnezzar, he had been hired by him for the purpose of depressing the people with fear. It may be that the violent among them willfully and knowingly made his situation appear worse to the ignorant, even by spreading false reports. Since this conviction about him then prevailed everywhere, he was apprehended as a revolter as he was leaving the city.

But he says that he intended to go into the land of Benjamin, so as to separate himself. The verb חלק, chelak, means to divide, to scatter, to dissipate; and hence some have given this meaning, that he went into the land of Benjamin in order to divide his heritage; but this seems harsh and forced.

They add, “In the midst of the people,” as though Jeremiah wished to make his land common and to give it to the people: but in this explanation there is nothing probable or suitable. I therefore do not doubt that Jeremiah sought this as a quiet place, as it is understood by most interpreters. He then went out towards the land of Benjamin, that he might separate himself; that is, that he might be secluded there in the midst of his people.

It is, indeed, a brief mode of speaking, but the meaning is not ambiguous—that he might be there, where he might separate himself from the people, as the places were distant from one another. For he was tired of the city, because he saw that he spent his labor in vain.

Some think that he was afraid of being cast into prison because he had just announced a command greatly disliked; but it is more probable that he was worn out with weariness because he saw that he made no impression on men so hard and refractory. Hence, then, he wished to withdraw from the presence of the whole people.

Then follows what we have already mentioned: that he was taken in the gate by the keeper Irijah, as though he were revolting to the Chaldeans. We have stated how this suspicion arose—namely, because he had faithfully proclaimed the commands of God.

Hence we see how God tried His servant when He thus constrained him to speak, so that his words became suspected. And from this we may also gather how thoroughly fixed that false opinion was in the minds of men, for Jeremiah was not heard in his own defense. He indeed said openly that he was not fleeing away; in fact, that this was a false charge. It is a lie, he says, I am not fleeing to the Chaldeans.

I have already reminded you that the verb נפל, nuphal, found here, means properly to fall, but it is to be taken here metaphorically, as signifying to fall away, or to incline to another side. You then fall away or incline to the Chaldeans, which was the same thing as to revolt.

We see that the Prophet was not charged with a common offense, for it would have been the gravest crime to forsake his own country and to go over to the enemies; it would have been better for him to die a hundred deaths.

But, as I have already said, the servants of God ought to be courageous enough to despise the slanders of the unprincipled. When it so pleases God, they should prepare themselves for patience whenever any reproach is to be undergone; let them only ensure their conscience is always clear before God and angels.

Let their integrity also confute all slanders, and let them disprove them too, if there are those who can bear to hear them. But if a defense is not always admitted, let them patiently bear this indignity.

We also ought to notice this: God’s servants, though ready to clear themselves of crimes ascribed to them and to defend their innocence at the peril of their lives, are yet often repelled and condemned unheard. This is indeed a great indignity; but since Jeremiah met with such treatment, it ought not to appear unendurable or new to us today.